E29: Is the Great Stagnation Over?

This week, economist Eli Dourado joins Noah Smith and Erik Torenberg to explore the concept of the Great Stagnation and whether it is over, the challenges of scaling in America, the role of governance in hindering progress, the role of new technology in productivity gains, and much more. If you’re looking for an ERP platform head to NetSuite http://netsuite.com/102 and download your own customized KPI checklist.

We're hiring across the board at Turpentine and for Erik's personal team on other projects he's incubating. He's hiring a Chief of Staff, EA, Head of Special Projects, Investment Associate, and more. For a list of JDs, check out: eriktorenberg.com.

Sponsors: NETSUITE

NetSuite has 25 years of providing financial software for all your business needs. More than 36,000 businesses have already upgraded to NetSuite by Oracle, gaining visibility and control over their financials, inventory, HR, eCommerce, and more. If you’re looking for an ERP platform head to NetSuite http://netsuite.com/102 and download your own customized KPI checklist.

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Econ 102 is a part of the Turpentine podcast network. To learn more: www.turpentine.co

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X / TWITTER:

@elidourado (Eli)

@eriktorenberg (Erik)

@noahpinion (Noah)

@Econ102_Podcast (Econ 102)

@TurpentineMedia (Turpentine)

TIMESTAMPS

(00:00) Episode Preview

(01:44) Perspectives on the Great Stagnation

(08:49) Scaling in the U.S.

(09:27) Copying Elon Musk

(15:36) NIMBYs 

(18:48) SPONSOR: NETSUITE

(20:14) Our intolerance to risk

(25:23) The future of airplane manufacturing 

(31:01) Indicators of the great stagnation

(33:09) Techno-optimism and socio-pessimism

(39:30) The future of home appliances and robots

(41:45) The Impact of mining and construction on productivity

(43:19) What about solar snergy?

(43:42) Role of government in technological progress

(55:26) The importance of overcoming obstacles